


The puzzle's other side

by Anima_Lira



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27575336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anima_Lira/pseuds/Anima_Lira
Summary: "This is why I didn't trust you, never could.""You're not even real. Just shut up."
Relationships: Pegasus J. Crawford | Maximillion Pegasus & Kaiba Seto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	The puzzle's other side

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Glass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8450248) by [BellamyTaft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellamyTaft/pseuds/BellamyTaft). 



> This contains spoilers for both stories "Glass" and "Shattered" by the author mentioned above . If you haven't already suffered through their cruel brilliance, you have nothing to read here. Off to reading you go then. As for the rest: Please enjoy.

"This is why I didn't trust you, never could." The brown-haired stared at him out of the corner of his eyes, shaking his head in mock disappointment. He did that often now a days and it was really annoying over time.

"Oh please, as if this has anything to do with that. You're not even real, so shut up."

The worst wasn't that he could see and hear him, no. The worst was that stupid grin on his face, as if he wasn't furious but pleased. One could argue that Seto had just become like his father in the end, but that didn't mean that it couldn't go on his nerves. He gave in to the foolishness, looked up.

"This all could've been avoided if not for you, you know? You've only yourself to blame."

"Maybe." There was no remorse, none at all. "I should've shot you in the head when I had the chance back then."

"You should've accepted my mercy for what it was."

But the ghost didn't stop ranting, not at all.

"Croquet first, then you. Once you two would've been out of the way, I would've contacted for help in the time the other guards would come. I'm sure there would've been a way."

"If I knew that you would have been so eager to stay here even after your death, I would have thought twice about granting you peace."

And then, the ghost laughed, loud and clear. The tongue completely in tact, despite it rotting inside one drawer in the infirmary.

"If you really think my ghost would waste its time on you, you've never really known me. If anything, I would be all around Mokuba, trying to get through to him, or trying to get him out for real this time."

"And how would you do that? If I remember well, then you are dead, Seto. Died buried alive, pathetic and begging, completely at my mercy."

"And yet the me in your mind laughs in your face and mocks you about how insane you've gotten."

"It's not insane-"

"It _is_. Should I do that for a while instead? Repeat what you are again and again until the only thing on your mind will be my voice, whether it will be my words or yours?"

"Are you trying to get back at me for what I have done to you?" Revenge? The boy had always been petty, he wouldn't put it past him to-

"I'm only inside your head, asshole. Everything I say and do is exactly a reflection of your mind. I guess you should be grateful that it's me. Now imagine if it had been Bakura's other personality-"

"The evil spirit that has been _possessing_ Ryou. Don't you try mixing them up-"

"You know, if you had been really _that_ concerned about him, why didn't you get rid of the ring immediately like you did anyway in the end?"

"You shouldn't even know-"

The boy fell into his words, interrupting him rudely, as always. "As long as you don't start to get amnesia, there will be no way for me to _not_ know. And as I said, since I'm currently stuck with being your inner voice-"

"And here I thought you enjoyed it."

As if he didn't know why he hadn't gotten rid of the cursed item and its resident sooner. As if he hadn't ever thought about it. But that didn't matter to the other apparently, as he was stepping closer to him, like a snake ready to attack. A very smug snake.

"Everything I tell and say to you means that this is what has been keeping you awake at night. That and those shells of a human being in the next room, waiting for a way to cadge at your feet, demanding attention."

"Are you done."

"Not at all. Maybe I should make a game out of it. It took about 2 years to get my father to jump off a building willingly, you know? I was maybe 13-15 at this time. Let's say with all the amount of knowledge I have gotten in the past years, I would say I could drive that gun through your head in under a year."

It was a taunt, maybe a promise too. He would burn that tongue, tear the remains of it apart and throw it into the ocean, yes he would. But he played along for now, granting the poor soul a bit of satisfaction it so desperately seemed to carve.

"Oh? And what would happen to the ones that are still left? What would happen to your sweet little brother?"

"Oh, he is mine again? Not ours? Not _yours_? God, this will be so much fun, really. In case- no, _when_ it's done, there will be still other people in here."

"You think they will be of any help? You think these 3 would be able to live through all this after I am gone?"

He had made coffee. God damn it, this had to stop. The ghost, his own imagination, whatever it was in the end, took a sip out of its cup, looked almost thoughtful.

"I find it funny that in here you can admit that what you've done was terrible. That even if you die, you will never see her again, will be forced to burn for all eternity. How about you greet my father once you're done here?"

"You have not answered my question yet."

"Because there is no need for an answer, you know what will happen once you're gone. Croquet will either get rid of them all and the doctor as well - don't pretend to be surprised, it's your mind - or will just quit it and make the one little call."

"That wasn't my question either, Kaiba-boy. Do you really think they would survive outside of this?"

"Of _course_ they would. Don't flatter yourself. In Mokuba's current state he would listen to anyone or to no one, wouldn't care about himself at all."

The way the young man spoke about his precious little brother bothered Pegasus somehow. Not enough to stop listening yet. Another sip, as if only to make him wait.

"And?"

"Once this is over and the call made, Roland would find him. He would make sure to get his mind back to where he can decide himself where he needs to be- wants to be."

"You're not crossing out that he could try to kill himself."

"As long as _he_ has the decision and _knows_ what he is doing, I don't care. My real me will see him again, no matter what hell I would've to walk through in order for doing so."

"Was it all about decision? Really?"

"It was about the fact that you're not stable, not right in that old head of yours. Living under the constant danger of putting you off would unavoidably lead into the yearning for freedom."

"So you wanted safety. You wanted to be safe even though I told you you were as long as you behave and I can trust you! You were the one who broke it, you were the one who-"

And Seto's copy begun to laugh again, not even respecting him enough to let him finish his sentence, to listen to what he had to say.

"It's almost funny how you keep on talking to me like I'm real. Do you think the guards are listening right now?"

"The others. What about our sweet Ryou?"

"He has been living with an abusive spirit (oh, so now it was a spirit suddenly?) for like half his life. He will try and find someone that would get a knock out of keeping him if he feels like it. Or he would go and get that spirit, fish it out from whatever place you put it, force it to take over for real this time, force it to live the life that he had wanted to steal _so_ badly. Or maybe he too would decide that all of this has to be a joke and just end it as well."

"Aren't you quite mean, to speak in such a tone about them-"

"Still your words. Now, about Gardner, she would probably wake up pretty soon again once you're gone. She might actually get back to living the excuse of a normal life and get over everything. If she is stubborn enough, she would make sure that neither Mokuba nor Ryou would kill them self and they could live on as a little traumatized family."

"This is not what I think of miss Gardner, Seto! This is all your idea of her!"

"And you care? You're the one who's insane."

He hadn't had the nerve for this anymore, pulled the empty coffee-cup up (it hadn't even been filled in the first place for god's sake!), threw it into the sink, stormed out of the kitchen, out of the room where the others were waiting for him, through the hallways right towards that room. He needed to make sure, needed to _see_.

He needed to see it, see it right now. The light in the monitor flipped on, but just like all the times he had checked before, the other was still where he had died all those months ago, beginning to rot away just like the tongue, no sign of movement whatsoever. He put out the light again, leaved the room. This was a joke. Nothing more, just a joke. Everything had been so good until now, there was no need to even waste a thought on that ungrateful little brat anymore, not with him being happy around his companions at last, not at all.

He leaved the room for real this time, ignored the smiling silhouette next to him as he hurried to get over with the day, nothing of the joy he recently had being here anymore. God, how he had started to hate that brat. ~~(Started to hate his mind.)  
~~

~...~

However, the silhouette didn't follow the one it was required to haunt, stayed in the room with the monitor for a while longer, as the angry steps faded away bit by bit.

Then it turned around to face _him_ , who had done - who couldn't do anything but watch the events happen, no control over it at all as if he wasn't really there. As if it was but a dream, dark and mocking like the others he had had so far while sleeping his long, long sleep. The brown-haired looked at him a while longer, then shook his head, laughing again. 

"God, this is pathetic. And you really are supposed to be someone important in your timeline?"

"You can see me, Kaiba?!"

He couldn't believe it. Finally, after being forced to watch all of this, from the moment the first shot had been fired through his partner's head to the other being buried alive, finally someone could see him! Though the implication of what that meant wasn't something to feel relieved about, not at all, only helped to push the sorrow and anger back into him, crueler than before, daring him to hope again.

"Of course I can see you. Can see how angry you get from just watching, from just looking at you. Now imagine how it would've felt if you were there and could do nothing but watch anyway, imagine how furious and afraid it would make you."

The brown-haired grinned at him without any kindness, and for one moment, it felt like he was someone else, really just the memory of an insane man that forgot to take it with him. It didn't feel right at all. None of this did and he wanted to scream, to scream for it to just stop, to demand for it, to beg for it to stop. But then suddenly, the strange grin softened again, and Kaiba shook his head.

"Though I think you had enough of it. Time for you to get a look at what really happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're a loser, Yugi. Now wake up so I can say it to you again."

The room begun to vanish at that, as if there was nothing more to say or to see, as if he hadn't so many questions, as if it didn't matter at now. What had the other meant?! But his confusion didn't stay long, soon he felt it, that something that he had been missing so _much_ all this time, and he felt complete again.

He opened his eyes and immediately saw everyone. Not the version of them he had been seeing for months, but the reality. All of them, alive and well. Alive and well. _Alive_. But that meant that...

"Welcome back."

Tea greeted, looking like she was doing her best not to start crying. He couldn't help but look down, but her legs were completely fine. He looked at Joey next, didn't believe his eyes, didn't believe it after what he had seen, after what he had been forced to watch, he couldn't believe it, just couldn't... he looked down at himself, at his hands, at his clothes. _Yugi_. He was inside Yugi's body again, which ultimately meant that Yugi was alive as well.

"...What happened?"

"It's a long story-"

"You've been useless, that happened."

Bakura had crossed his arms, stared at him in pure distaste. All fingers attached. The ring around his neck like a golden chain. Even his completely hateful glare couldn't hide the relief he was in right now, didn't even come close to it. Next to him, almost hidden due to the small space, were Kaiba and Mokuba, ignoring everything around them, just looking exhausted enough to sleep for a millennia or two. Alive and well. Alive and well.

The nameless spirit took it all in, looked twice and more times to really believe it, before he pulled his courage together (there wasn't that much left, he was ashamed to admit) and reached for his other self.

_"Yugi? Are you there?"_

_"I am. But I'm so tired, I'm sorry. Do you mind taking over for a while longer?"_

Yugi was there. Yugi was there, Yugi was alive!

_"Of course, partner. Sleep all you want, it's over."_

He listened to everything his friends told him about what happened, got angry all over again, but forced away his feelings of feeling useless while Yugi was asleep, wouldn't disturb the other's well earned rest. Pegasus could count himself lucky that he was already dead, otherwise he would've made sure that his fate would've been far, _far_ worse than just that. After all, he had just spent months watching the perfect inspiration, hadn't he?

But as it was, the spirit let himself relax, calm down from everything. It was over.

All of it was finally over.

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, while everyone has been living through the events in Glass, our sleeping pharaoh has been forced to live through the events of Shattered as a "shadow", not seen or heard while also not being able to do anything against it but watch the horror go on. This may have been me reading through the whole second arc in one day, and getting angry at Atem for just, you know, chilling inside his torture maze all this time while the others went to hell. I also wanted to finally allow Seto to talk like he wants to to Pegasus.  
> Did I wrote this instead of homework? Maybe, but you're also reading it instead of homework, so it's not that bad.


End file.
